26 Amazing Dragonfly Facts

Dragonfly is a common small insect. Like many other insects, dragonflies can fly. Dragonflies are beautiful, thin, and fast fliers. Dragonfly is seen all over the world except Antarctica. They have amused human being with there beautiful and transparent wings. Dragonflies are mostly harmless to humans and are older species than us. Most dragonflies live in warmer areas.

Dragonfly is interesting to most of us. For being one of the oldest surviving species many people accept them as a symbol of versatility. Many interesting and cool facts about this insect are unknown to us. Let's check out some cool and interesting Dragonfly facts.

Dragonflies are one of the oldest living species of the earth. Fossils found of Protodonata are around 300 million years old. Protodonata is an extinct species of giant dragonflies.

There are around 3000 species of Dragonflies.

Pantala Flavescens is thought to be the most common species of dragonflies. This species is seen in all warmer regions.

The size of the dragonflies that we see now is small. But dragonflies from older periods were much larger than them.

Dragonfly has two compound eyes. Each eye has 30,000 ommatidia.

Dragonfly uses its compound eyes to direct their flights.

Dragonfly has a name of fly but they spend most of there lives as aquatics. Dragonflies live as a larva for around two years. A mature dragonfly lives 10 weeks maximum.

In all stages of life, dragonflies are predators. As larvae, they eat baby mosquitos and eggs of other insects. As full-grown, they mostly eat other insects.

Dragonflies are one of the most efficient hunters. They hunt 90-95% of their prays within there reach.

As dragonflies mostly eat mosquito, they are good controllers of the mosquito population.

A common behavior of dragonflies is that they swarm in thousands. The exact reason for this behavior is unknown.

Everyday dragonflies warm-up in the morning before starting to fly.

The largest insect ever lived on earth was a dragonfly.

According to all measurements Megaloprepus calculates is the largest dragonfly species in the earth. These species have a wingspan of 7.5 inches and abdomens measuring up to 10 4 inches.

By making the atmosphere the same as the giant dragonflies lived around 300 million years ago, biologists have grown larger dragonflies. These specially grown dragonflies are 15% larger than common dragonflies.

Dragonflies are one of the fastest flying insects as they can fly at a maximum speed of 30-35 miles per hour.

Dragonflies have records of unbelievable flying ranges. One Pantala Flavescens has broken all previous records and traveled more than 4400 miles in total in one single journey.

Adult dragonflies can eat while flying.

Each of the wings of a dragonfly can work independently.

A Petalura Ingentissima from Australia is known to be the largest Dragonfly. This specimen has a wingspan of 6.2 inches.

Though named as flies, Dragonfly is not a fly. In the Insecta class, dragonflies are from the order Odonata while flies are from Diptera.

Though dragonflies have six legs they can't walk, they use legs only while stationary and to catch the prey.

The scarlet dwarf (Nannophya pygmaea) is the smallest living dragonfly species, measuring a wingspan of only 20 mm.

A dragonfly beats its wings 1800 times on average while flying.

Dragonflies are widely portrayed positively in folklores and myths. But Swedish folklore portrays them as the agent of the devil.

In japanese culture and art dragonflies are a symbol of courage, strength, and happiness.

Dragonflies are beautiful. This magnificent insect plays a vital role in our ecosystem. They are living on the earth for millions of years and still managed to survive. These are all we have about dragonflies today.